I’m usually guilty of being that jerk that sits at the back of the audience and stares ahead stonefaced during stand-up comedy. I’ve rarely been to a show I’ve really enjoyed – I just don’t find it very funny. There are two exceptions – the first was Dan Antopolski’s rap about sandwiches at the Wolfson Howler in Michaelmas term. “Bread, filler, bread…that’s a sandwich!” The rest of his show wasn’t exactly my kind of humor – the truly low point was a strange song about babies at the end. The second exception is a big one: Demetri Martin, in all his blazing glory.
Because it’s clear that I don’t enjoy standup, if there’s a comedian out there who can actually make me laugh, it’s an accomplishment. Demetri wears the crown in this respect. I started off watching Person, which had me practically rolling on the floor. I can’t remember the last time that happened – possibly the first time I watched Napoleon Dynamite. His sense of humor is perfectly aligned with mine – random, intelligent insight into life. He doesn’t resort to shock value to entertain his audience. He has ideas that are truly surprising & creative, leaving me giggling with glee.
I’ve been watching Important Things, his new show on Comedy Central, which is every bit as humorous. It looks like he has a movie coming out sometime this year, Taking Woodstock, which I’ll be seeing on opening day.
